Swimming pool safety device



April 23, 1963 o. P. STAFFORD SWIMMING POOL SAFETY DEVICE 9 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 29, 1960 INVENTOR April 1963 o. P. STAFFORD 3,086,219

SWIMMING POOL SAFETY DEVICE I uill H I INVENTO'R \y wmzsmwrd BY W ATTORNE Apru 23, 1963 o. P. STAFFORD 3,086,219

SWIMMING POOL SAFETY DEVICE Filed July 29, 1960 I 9 Sheets-Sheet s ll |I l l l l 1 l I I r i I I I I I n n Vii/47M" INVENTOR ATTORNEY April 23, 1963 Filed July 29, 1960 o. P. STAFFORD 3,086,219

SWIMMING POOL SAFETY DEVICE 9 Shsets-Sheet 4 08641 A Jmrd c5 QZM %0RNEY April 23, 1963 o P. STAFFORD 3,0

SWIMMING POOL SAFETY DEVICE Filed July 29, 1960 9 Sheets-$heet 5 ATTORNEY April 23, 1963 o. P. STAFFORD SWIMMING POOL SAFETY DEVIQE' 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed July 29, 1960 06mm? Sid/fwd ATTORNEY Aprik 23, 1963 o. P. STAFFORD 3,086,219

SWIMMING POOL SAFETY DEVICE 9 shests sheet 7 m Q Filed July 29, 1960 INVENTOR E R 086mb? JMIMW ATTORNEY April 1953 o. P. STAFFORD 3,086,219

SWIMMING POOL SAFETY DEVICE Filed July 29, 1960 9 SheetsSheet. 8

INVENTOR TTORNEY April 23, 1963 o. P. STAFFORD SWIMMING POOL SAFETY DEVICE 9 sheets sheet 9 Filed July 29, 1960 ATTORNEY 3,08%,219 Patented Apr. 23, 1963 3,036,219 SWIMMING POOL SAFETY DEVICE Oscar P. Stafford, Maryville, Tenn., assignor of one-half to Wade H. Patrick, Johnson City, Tenn. Filed July. 29, 1960, Sen-N0. 46,135 Claims. (Cl. 4-:172)

have been'traditionally utilized with swimming pools require (1) ,the employment of atrained lifeguard to super- V156 and safeguard those people actually usingthe pool,

I i and (2) the installation of high fences to isolate the pool from unauthorized persons who could accidentally or otherwise enter the pool and injure themselves. These traditional safeguards have long been successfully applied to swimming pools of the large cooperative or community type. However, in recent years, the number of relatively "small private-and semi-private poolshas substantially increased, and in many instances the owners of these smallerpools do not wish to go tothe expense and inconvemence of hiring a full time lifeguard and/or constructing unsightly fences on their property for the purposeof protecting their pools andothers.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an effective safety device, for guarding swimming pools.

It is another object of this invention to provide a fast acting power operated life saving apparatus for swimming pools.

'It is a further object of this invention to provide a power operated life saving apparatus for swimming pools A that may be adapted to serve as a protective barrier when a not in use as a life saving'device.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a power-operated life saving device and swimming pool cover that may be effectivelyoperated by a person outside the pool.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide a power operated life saving device that will raise a floundering-person above the surface of a swimming, pool and-deposit him safely to one side of the pool.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a swimming pool safety device that may be easily installed a in both existing and new pools .having a variety of shapes and sizes.

- port-conduit 18 andare guided within the conduit by a FIGURE 8 is a cross sectional side view of the invention as applied to a two-pool installation;

FIGURE 9 is a top elevation of the apparatus as shown in the two-poolinstallation of FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a diagram of the cable system used in the two-pool installation shown in FIGURES 8 and 9 and viewed in perspective;

FIGURE 11 is a detailed view of the cable stop mechanism used in the two-pool installation;

FIGURE 12 is a cross sectional view, with parts omitted, of the apparatus as applied to a pool having a slanted bottom; and

FIGURE 13 is a detailed view, with parts omitted, of

the frame extending mechanism shown in FIGURE 12.

Generally, the present invention contemplates a raisable net system which is suspended within a swimming pool by means of a series of retractable suspension members. Thenet system comprises two supported net sections which are pivotally supported-and positioned within the pool by a frame having a size and shape that approximately corresponds to the inner perimeter ofthepool. The net sections overlap themselves toward the center of the frameand are suspended in amanner that permits them to be extended from a normally flat position when positioned at the bottom of the pool to an inclined position over the pool when the net system is raised above the surface of the pool.

-Referring to=FlGURES 1 and 2, it isrseen that the apparatus generally comprises a, raisable net system that is substantially contained within the pool by aset of four corner support cables 12 and two center support cables 14. The support cables pass over six cable support pulleys 16 which are rotatably mounted on an overhead supportconduit-generally 18. After-running over the support pulleys 16, the cables 12 and 14 enter the overhead supseries of guide pulleys 20 towards a winch 22 which is driven by an electric motor 23. The action of the electricmotor 23 is generally controlled by a switch25. The overhead support-conduit 18 is located abovev and borders three sides of the pool 10', and as previously indicated,

servesboth as a rigid framework to support the cable support pulleys 16, and as a protective covering for the cable These andstill further objects will become readily ap- V parent to one skilled in the art from the following description of the invention takenin conjunction with the drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a top elevation of the device, as installed in a swimming pool, with parts broken away;

' FIGURE 2 is a transverse, sectional view on line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is apartiallongitudinal,sectional view on line 3-3'of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective schematic diagram of the retractable cable system used in the device shown in FIGURES l, 2 and. 3;

FIGURE 5 is a detailed cross sectional view of-the cable take-up. means shown generally in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a detailed view, with parts broken away, of the resilient roller mounts as taken relative toline 6-6 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a detailed top view of the net support hinge mounting as taken on line 7-7 of FIGURE 6;

system that raises and lowers the net system within the pool. The portions of the overhead support-conduit 18 which border the ends of the pool 10 have two vertical members 24 attached thereto approximately midway their length. These vertical members 24, which also appear in cross sectional view 3, serve .to support the two center cable support pulleys 16 over which the center cables 14 run. Located approximately 'midway'the length of that portion of the support-conduit 18 that runs generallythe length of the pool 10 is a T connected conduit member 26. T his conduit member 26 serves to conduct a pair of collector cables 28 and 29from the conduit 18 into a winch well 30. These collector cables 28 and 29 are connected to; the corner and center supportcables 14 and 16 which are located on either side of the raisable net sys- 14 and 16 to .the power driven winch 22.

tem, andserve to operatively connectthe support cables Further reference to FIGURES 1 and 2 shows that the raisable net system is generally comprised of two overlapping. net supports 32 and 34 which are hinged to a rectangular frame 136. 'The corner support cables 12 are affixed to the four corners of .the frame 36, whereas'the .centersupport cables 14 are attached to either end of a support bar or net extending member- 38. {The net extending member 38 is permanentlyafiixed to theunderside of net support 32; As shown in phantom in FIG- URE 2, when. the net system is raised to the top ofthe pool, the net extending member 38 is brought to a higher position by means of cables 14 than are the corners of frame 36, thus causing net support 32 and overlapping net support 34 to assume an extended, i.e. inclined, position with respect to the surface of the pool. It can. be seen that a rescued person supported on a net 40, which is stretched tautly within the net support 32 and 34, would roll to the edge of the pool. Net 40 is made preferably of any deterioration resistant mesh material such as nylon, polyethylene, hemp, stainless steel, bronze, and so forth.

FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 disclose that the longitudinal portions of the frame 36, as well as the portions of the net supports 32 and 34 which are adjacent to the walls of the pool are provided with a plurality of resilient rollers 42. These rollers 42 are rotatably mounted on the frame 36 and the net supports 32 and 34 by means of brackets 44.

As shown in FIGURES 3 and 6, the resilient rollers 42 are maintained against the walls of the pool 10 by means of a spring 46 which is compressed within a slot 48 of bracket 44 and exerts an outward force against an axle 50" of the roller 42 also contained within the slot 40. The function of the rollers 42 is to prevent a person being rescued from slipping between the pool wall and the edge of the raisable net system in general. While these rollers appear in the preferred embodiment, they maybe omitted without substantially detracting from the other valuable aspects of the invention.

Reference to detailed FIGURES 5, 6 and 7 shows that the net supports 32 and 34 are hinged to the longitudinal member of the rectangular frame 36 by means of -a collar 37 rotatably mounted thereon. In all cases, the roller brackets 44 are rigidly affixed to either the rectangular frame 36 or the net supports 32 and 34.

Referring to FIGURE 4, it is seen that each of the corner support cables 12 is provided with a cable take-up means generally 52. The cable take-up means 52 is located within the hollow frame member 36 and, as shown more clearly in FIGURE 5, comprises a compressible spring 53 which is positioned within the frame member 36 between a drilled screw plug 54 and a cable stop member 56 which is slidably contained within the frame member 36. The function of the cable take-up means 52 is to provide additional effective length in the corner cables 12, so that when the collector cables 28 and 23 are taken up by the winch 22, the center cables 14, which are inflexibly afiixed to the net extending member 38, will cause the member 38 to be raised further than the frame 36. The greater amount of vertical displacement of the net extending member 38 relative to the frame 36 caused by the difference in effective length of the cables 12 and 14 will cause the hinged net supports 32 and 34 to extend to the inclined positions shown in phantom in FIGURE 2.

When in operation as a life saving device, the normal position of the raisable net system is at the bottom of the pool 10 substantially as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. In the event a person is floundering in the pool, the switch 25 is closed and the electric motor 23 commences to drive the winch 22. The winch 22 winds the collector cables 28 and 29 simultaneously, thus causing the supporting cables 12 and 1-4 to be retracted into the overhead support-conduit 18 thereby lifting the net system to the surface of the pool. While the supporting cables 12 and 14 are retracted at the same rate, and by the same amount, the resilient cable take-up means generally 52 permit the inflexibly attached center support cables 14 to lift the net extending member 38 along with the net supports 32 and 34 to a higher level than the frame 36. This allows the net supports 32 and 34 to assume an inclined position with respect to the horizontal frame 36. As pointed out previously the inclined position assumed by the net supports 32 and 34 causes a person supported on the net 40 to roll to the edge of the pool where he may be easily rescued. During the raising process, the resilient rollers 42, which may be made of sponge rubber, expanded plastic, or the like, maintain constant contact with the pool Walls and serve to guide the net system during the ascent, as well as prevent the rescued person from being caught between the net support and the pool wall.

When the device is to be used as a pool cover or safety barrier, the raisable net system is merely left in the raised position. The inclined surface mounted by the net 40 serves to effectively return any person who accidentally falls in the pool, to the edge of the pool. It is also seen that the resilient rollers 42 form an effective seal between the pool edge and the net surface.

FIGURES 8, 9, 10 and 11 illustrate a two-pool embodiment of the present invention wherein the two pools have different levels. The elements of the two-pool embodiment are similar to those of the previously described single pool embodiment except for the collector cable arrangement which is adapted to commence the raising of the deeper pool net system before the raising of the net system within the shallower pool begins.

Referring to FIGURES 8 and 9, it is seen that a raisable net system is provided for each pool 11 and 13. As in the previously described embodiment, each net system generally comprises a rectangular frame 36' suspended within its respective pool by a set of six retractable supporting cables generally 12' and 14' which run over and are guided by pulleys generally 16' and 20 mounted on or within support-conduits generally 18 or 24. An electrically powered winch 22' is provided with a pair of vertical support conduit members 24' which cooperate with the cables 14' and a net extending member 38' to raise a pair of net supports 32 and 34 to an inclined position. As seen in FIGURE 8, the center-most of vertical support-conduit members 24' serves both of the pools 11 and 13.

Reference to FIGURES 9 and 10 shows that the support cables 12 and 14' of pool 11 are connected to a pair of collector cables 31 and 33, and that the support cables 12' and 14' of pool 13 are connected to another pair of collector cables 35 and 39. Although not shown in FIGURES 9 and 10, the support cables 12' are connected to the frame 36' through a cable take-up means similar to 52 of FIGURES 4 and 5. The collector cables 31 and 33 of the shallow pool 11 (FIGURES 9 and 10) terminate into a single cable 27 and are connected thereby to the collector cable 35 of the deep pool 13 by means of a slide 41 which is slideably mounted on cable 35 and is positioned a sufficient distance from a slide stop 43 to allow the net system of the deep pool 13 to be raised to the level of the shallow pool 11 before the stop 43 engages the slide 41 and causes the net system of pool 11 to be raised. By using such a system, a single winch may be used to raise the net system in both pools.

In operation, the two-pool embodiment is similar to the single pool embodiment except for the additional part played by the collector cable stop 43 and the slide 41 mentioned above. It should also be noted that the cable stop slide mechanism mentioned above could be replaced by a pair of winches, one operatively connected to the net system in each pool. 1 Another modification of the instant invention is shown J11 FIGURES 12 and 13 wherein certain portions of the apparatus have been changed so as to adapt the device to a pool 58 having a sloping bottom.

Reference to FIGURE 12 show an apparatus quite similar to that described in the previous embodiment wherein the resilient rollers 42 have been omitted for clarity. In FIGURE 12, a raisable net system is shown positioned at the bottom of the pool 58 having a generally sloping bottom. The net system is supported by cables 12" and 14" which enter a support-conduit 18" and 24" respectively. The longitudinal members of a rectangularframe 36 and a net extending member 38" have been modified with respect to those shown in the previous embodiments so as to include a spring loaded net lengthening mechanism generally 60 which serves to both shorten and lengthen the effective length of the net system. As shown in FIGURE 12, the net lengthening mechanism 60 includes a pair of overlapping net supports, one of which is shown a 62, which are free to slide over the main net supports, 34" being shown. The overlapping net support 62 is hinged independently to a frame lengthening member 64 (shown broken in FIGURE 13). Frame lengthening member 64 is free to slide in and out of the frame member 36" and is maintained therein by an end bearing 66 and a guide piston 68. A series of holes 70 are positioned in frame member 36" to provide free flow of any fluid trapped therein.

As illustrated in FIGURE 13, the frame lengthening member 64 is resiliently maintained against the wall of pool 58 by means of compressed coil spring 74 which is maintained in pressure contact with the guide piston 68 by means of a restraining pin 76. The terminal portions of the frame 36", and of the net extending member 38" adjacent to one end wall of the pool 58, as well as the terminal portions of net lengthening mechanism 60, adjacent to the opposite end wall of pool 58 are each provided with a wall contact wheel 78 that enables these members to pass easily over the pool wall surface where contact is made.

In operation, the raisable net system of the slanted pool modification is raised by retracting the cables 12" and 14". Leveling of the net system through the left and right groups of cables 12. and 14" may be easily achieved by utilization of a collector cable stop-slide device (not shown) similar to that previously illustrated in the twopool embodiment. In such a leveling arrangement, the

collector cable from. the deep side of pool 58 would be allowed to partially wind before engaging the collector cable leading from the shallower side. Alternatively, a pair of winches, one operatively connected to each end of the net system and starting at appropriately spaced time intervals could conveniently perform the function of leveling and raising the net system.

The foregoing detailed description is only for clearness of understanding, and I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a swimming pool: a frame disposed in said pool, said frame having two side portions and two end portions and a size and shape corresponding to the inner perimeter of said pool; a support bar overlying the end portions of said frame substantially centrally of the side portions thereof; a pair of overlapping support members, each having one side pivotally attached to the opposing side portions of said frame, the lower of which has a free side overlying said support bar; a cable and pulley system attached to both ends of the side portions of said frame and to both ends of said support bar; an upstanding member disposed substantially centrally at each end of said pool; and means associated with said cable and pulley system to elevate said frame and said bar to the top of the pool, the side portions of said frame including yielding means associated with said cable, said yielding means and upstanding members cooperating with said frame and said pulley and cable system to further elevate said bar to a position substantially above the top of said pool whereby said support members are inclined downwardly toward the sides of said pool.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the side portions of the frame are provided with resilient roller-s maintained in continuous contact with the pool walls.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 adapted for use in a pool having a sloping bottom wherein said frame, said support members and said support bar are provided with resilient extensions whereby the efiective length thereof may be varied.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said cable and pulley system includes means to initially raise one portion only of said support frame, said support members and said support bar a predetermined distance.

5. The [apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said means comprises a slide member slideably mounted on a first cable of said system and attached to the end of a second cable of said system and a slide catch member fixedly mounted on said first cable, said slide catch member engaging said slide member after the first cable has traveled a predetermined distance.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. IN A SWIMMING POOL: A FRAME DISPOSED IN SAID POOL, SAID FRAME HAVING TWO SIDE PORTIONS AND TWO END PORTIONS AND A SIZE AND SHAPE CORRESPONDING TO THE INNER PERIMETER OF SAID POOL; A SUPPORT BAR OVERLYING THE END PORTIONS OF SAID FRAME SUBSTANTIALLY CENTRALLY OF THE SIDE PORTIONS THEREOF; A PAIR OF OVERLAPPING SUPPORT MEMBERS, EACH HAVING ONE SIDE PIVOTALLY ATTACHED TO THE OPPOSING SIDE PORTIONS OF SAID FRAME, THE LOWER OF WHICH HAS A FREE SIDE OVERLYING SAID SUPPORT BAR; A CABLE AND PULLEY SYSTEM ATTACHED TO BOTH ENDS OF THE SIDE PORTIONS OF SAID FRAME AND TO BOTH ENDS OF SAID SUPPORT BAR; AN UPSTANDING MEMBER DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY CENTRALLY AT EACH END OF SAID POOL; AND MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID CABLE AND PULLEY SYSTEM TO 